I’m Jamie, and here’s my story.

5 years ago, I got divorced. Yes, divorce is a tough decision, but what I did not realise was the road that lies ahead of me as a single mother fighting to keep my daughter’s custody was way tougher.

Back then, my daughter, Zoey was barely 1 year old. Even though I had a full-time job, it was no way near being able to provide the best for her. I would spend most of my income on Zoey, hoping to provide the best that I could afford to her. It might seem irrational, but isn’t it every mom’s hope to see their kids grow up healthily and happily?

Slowly, without even realising, I was spending more than what I was able to earn. I know I needed a way out. And so this is why Zoey’s Homemade was started. There weren't any super inspirational and noble reasons on why Zoey’s homemade is started. It was solely because of the situation I was in and I had to step up to provide for my little Zoey.

When the business was in its infancy, I had to juggle between my full time job, Zoey’s Homemade and taking care of Zoey. Most of the time I can only start working on making my natural food powder for kids at 10pm after I’ve pet Zoey to sleep. And I would often work until around 5AM in the morning. What keeps me going is knowing that proving my financial capability is what will win me Zoey’s custody and keep her beside me.

But just when I thought I gave everything I could, I gave nothing at all.

I still recall one night, Zoey woke up and came to me, crying. She had a bad dream, and all I did was to ask her to get back to sleep so I can go back to making food powder. After work, when I'm heading back to my room and pass by Zoey’s bedroom. From the door, I peeked in to check on her. She's rolled up and covered herself with a blanket. Shivering and still crying from the bad dream.

As a single mom, I’m always trying to give the best to my daughter. But until now I realised that all my daughter wanted was for me to accompany her more. It scares me how much that I could have missed. Is this something that I’m looking for? I ask myself. Would I be happy looking back in the next 10 years?

That’s when I decided, this has to change. Eventually I quit my full time job to go full time on Zoey’s Homemade, to give more of my time to my daughter. As a mother, watching my daughter growing healthily is all I ever wanted.

5 years later today, Zoey’s Homemade, which initially only focused on kid’s friendly natural food powder, now has 70+ types of products ranging from luncheon meat, veggie noodles, nuggets, buns, and so many more. We have been featured on multiple media from TV2, Oriental Daily to Malay Mail. And I am now in the position to provide working opportunities for 20+ mothers, in which 7 of them are like myself, a single mother.

Looking back, and in hindsight, I finally understood why God arranged me to go through all that hardship. It was to make me who i am today, and I am absolutely grateful for that.